This invention relates in general to acidulants for use in foods, and in particular to the use of sodium bisulfate as an acidulant in foods.
Acidulants are acids which are added to foods to provide a variety of functions. The major functions are: to enhance the flavor of the foods by imparting a tart, sour taste; to lower pH, thus preventing the growth of bacteria which cause spoilage and food poisoning; and to chelate metal ions such as iron and copper which catalyze rancidity reactions in fats. Commonly used acidulants are citric, acetic, fumaric, ascorbic, propionic, lactic, adipic, malic, sorbic, phosphoric and tartaric acids. Most of the acidulants are organic acids.
The known acidulants are not always totally satisfactory. For example, the organic acids are relatively weak, so that a relatively large amount of the acid must be used in the food to achieve the desired pH lowering and/or the desired sour flavor. This can undesirably increase the cost of the food, and can present other disadvantages. Some of the acidulants, such as citric acid and malic acid, are relatively expensive to begin with. Some acidulants are not very soluble in foods. Other acidulants are difficult to handle during food processing because of their corrosive nature. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a new acidulant for use in foods as an attractive alternative to the known acidulants.